Speaker
Description
One of the most important technical challenges for future on-orbit servicing missions is represented by the autonomous relative navigation in the proximity of a potentially uncooperative target. Current relative navigation techniques mostly rely on visible band (VIS) images. However, the acquisition of such images imposes several constraints on the spacecraft trajectory and operations, since it is necessary to guarantee both Sun avoidance in the sensor field of view and a sufficient target illumination to obtain useful measurements. To mitigate the inherent lighting condition problems, Polimi started investigating an imaging system working in the Thermal Infrared spectrum. The effects of the exploitation of multispectral imaging sensors to improve spacecraft relative navigation and target mapping are promising as shown through a case study discussion. Specifically, the VESPA has been selected as debris target to generate synthetic images in the VIS and LWIR bands for a Simultaneous Localization And Mapping algorithm to prove the expected benefits of the multispectral data exploitation in close proximity operations. The approach is proposed to be adopted in the framework of the future e.Inspector ESA mission for debris close prospecting.
